‘Wouldn’t think of missing it’

It’s been a 30-year tradition for Ron Nelson.If it’s the weekend after Labor Day, the Fulton, Ill., man will definitely be in New Hampton, and even after the weather for the Davis Rally in 2016, Nelson had no regrets spending a few days in his home away from home.“I wouldn’t think of missing it,” Nelson said Saturday afternoon as the sun finally shone on the 38th annual rally. “The people here — both at the rally and the good people of New Hampton — are the reason I keep coming back.”Let’s face it: The 2016 Davis Rally will be remembered more for the weather than the attendance.“It was a tough year, we’re not going to deny that,” said Gordon Davis Jr., who along with his brother and their significant others took over coordinating the event a year ago. “The weather killed us.”Davis said the organizers had high hopes because the felt the number of campers in place on Thursday evening was higher than a year ago.And then the rain — or shall we say downpour? — arrived on Friday, flooding parts of Mikkelson Park.“A lot of people, I’m sure, decided to stay home and come next year,” he said. “There’s just nothing you can do about the weather.”Still, Davis said he appreciated the fact that dozens of motorcycle enthusiasts did come for the final day of the rally on Saturday.“We heard a lot of positive comments,” he said. “People liked going back to the park set-up, and I think we came up with a good game-plan. It’s just Mother Nature wasn’t our friend this year.”Still, for the diehards, it was an eventful weekend.Take Nelson, for example.He’s been coming to New Hampton since the mid-1980s, and on Saturday, he walked the rally grounds wearing a “14th annual Davis Rally” shirt that looked brand new despite the fact that it’s almost a quarter of a century old.“The camaraderie out here is just something you don’t get anywhere else,” he said. “Some of these people I see once a year, but to me, their dear, dear friends.”Nelson is one of the “non-campers” and has been for years.For years, he’s stayed at the home of Roger Nosbisch, one of the key behind-the-scenes officials who were so important to the rally founders, Gene and Luci Davis.“I can’t imagine not spending a few days with Roger and Paulette in September,” he said, “and I think these young people putting on the rally now are on the right track.”He paused, smiled and pointed to the sky before adding, “We just need Mother Nature to do her job.”And although attendance was down this year, Gordon Davis Jr. said he expects the rally to be back in 2017.“Right now, I don’t see any reason we won’t be back,” he said. “Take away the weather and it was a good rally, and we know that Grandpa started this as a small rally, and it doesn’t matter how many bikes we have, it’s still a rally, one we love putting on.”